Anderson SilvaBrazil

Unofficially recognised as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC, Anderson Silva is to Mixed Martial Arts what Roger Federer has become to tennis. Embodying a sense of grace and ease inside the Octagon, Silva's style was once dubbed a "ballet of violence" by co-commentator Joe Rogan.

As the current UFC middleweight champion, Silva is riding a record winning streak in the UFC. During that time he has beaten former UFC champions Rich Franklin and Forrest Griffin, and former Pride champion Dan Henderson, this after building on a UFC debut that saw him connect with 100% of his strikes against Chris Leben.

Fighting out of the famed Black House team, where Silva trains alongside the likes of Lyoto Machida and Antonio Nogueira, "The Spider" holds black belts in Judo, Taekwondo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Once linked to a boxing match with Roy Jones Jr, Silva's immediate focus remains in MMA, where he arguably has two points left to prove. As the unofficial pound-for-pound king, Silva may well fight welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre in a future 'super fight', which would undoubtedly be the biggest bout in UFC history.

Silva also has the light-heavyweight title as an option, having already produced three of the most stunning knockouts of his career at 205lbs against James Irvin, former UFC light-heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar.

Such finishes encapsulate the brilliance of Silva, a man who seems to continually better what he has done in the past, as he did when knocking out Vitor Belfort with an outrageous front kick at UFC 126. Even when he's on the ropes, like against Chael Sonnen, Silva finds a way to win, and the much anticipated battle with either St-Pierre or Jon Jones is just about the only way he can add to an outstanding legacy.

Career high
Winning the UFC middleweight championship with a series of Muay Thai knees against Rich Franklin is arguably Silva's most impressive moment, although the impish jab with which he knocked out Forrest Griffin put The Spider on an even greater pedestal.

Career low
Silva was the cause of "the lowest moment" of Dana White's tenure after he displayed a severe lack of respect and sportsmanship against Demian Maia. Having completely outclassed Maia for two rounds at UFC 112, Silva then became more intent on embarrassing his compatriot, preferring to stand with his hands on his hips than fight as the crowd roared their disapproval.

Quote
"I have a story in fighting. I've fought the best athletes in the best events in the world. I believe that chance was given to me because I deserve to win..."

Trivia
Anderson Silva once worked in McDonalds and has taken a Physical Education degree.